When you’re in the middle of preparing a sauce or baking cookies, there’s nothing more annoying than having to trek back and forth to the sink to clean your measuring tools after each add-in. And since most of us have only one set of measuring cups and spoons, dealing with sticky ingredients such as honey,…
So, what’s a home cook to do when faced with a sticky situation? Reach for a can of nonstick cooking spray.
A Quick Spritz To Avoid Sticky Messes
The next time you need to add a tablespoon of honey to a marinade, head to the pantry to grab a can of nonstick cooking spray or a reusable oil sprayer. You can use any cooking spray you have on hand; the type of oil (avocado, olive, canola, etc.) doesn’t matter. Here’s the trick: Spray your measuring tool with a light coat of oil before adding the sticky ingredient.
This creates a lipid, or fat-based, barrier between the spoon’s material and the sticky ingredient. The oil molecules are less attracted to the sticky substance’s molecules, allowing the ingredient to slide right out. Now you can portion all types of ingredients without making repeated trips to the kitchen sink for washing and drying.
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Measure Wet and Dry Ingredients Together
There’s another way to avoid getting your measuring spoon sticky, but it only works if you’re working with both wet and dry ingredients. Let’s say you’re whipping up some blueberry oatmeal muffins and the recipe asks you to combine a tablespoon of honey with your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, etc.). If you don’t want to dirty your measuring spoon with the honey, press the rounded back of the spoon into the dry ingredients. This will create a well that’s roughly the same size as the amount of honey needed. Then, simply fill the indentation with the sticky ingredient. This hack isn’t about precision (for that, you’ll need a kitchen scale), but it’s perfect for those “measure with your heart” recipes.
